My mother left us before I turned ten.
I didn't want to end up like her,
or like my father and grandfather, who grew overconfident in their abilities.
I wanted to leave home
and pursue a skill that would mature and refine with age,
or perhaps a career in literature or art.
That's why I decided to walk down the thorny path of music.
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BLOSSOM
Spring break.
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
With freshmen numbers dwindling by the year,
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Shimizu Minami High School
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
Freshmen
Uniform Fittings
Materials Introduction
Reception Office
Venue Gymnasium
Start 13:00
End 17:00
we minor culture clubs competed fiercely to recruit them before the school year even began.
The concert band is waiting for you!
Join now, and you'll get to take the stage at a competition!
A boy!
We want boys!
Hold it right there!
If you want members,
you'll have to recruit them over the drama club's dead—
Outta the way, perv!
We're the drama club. Please consider joining us.
I'll think about it.
Oh, dear.
Hey!
What do you guys think you're doing?!
SPRINGRAPHY
Haruta!
How'd it go?
Awful.
What in the world did you do?
Weird. Even by myself, it should've been a piece of cake.
Don't you know how hard we had it last year?
Relax. We'll get loads of girls joining for you once school begins.
I only like them older.
Hey, I like them older too!
At least ten years older, or I'm not interested!
I guess as childhood friends, we were fated to have similar tastes.
I'd rather we didn't!
Please, go out with a girl who isn't me!
Girls are great, you know!
What's gotten into you?
What'd you even come here for?
To show you this. Someone from the newspaper club gave it to me earlier.
Said they took it at around 8AM, before our practice started.
Look at this.
You can see someone in the music room.
Oh, yeah.
Right? This makes it clear that someone's sneaking in there before we arrive!
I guess.
Remember the first day of spring break?
Staff Room
When I came to school early to practise by myself...
Staff Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Home Economics Kitchen
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Music Room
Materials Room
Woodworks Room
Art Room
Huh?
Special Classrooms
Please return after use!
B Block
Music Room
Good morning!
Huh?
Nobody's here.
Who's there?
Even after that,
there were several days when the keys were gone from the staff room in the morning.
I would go to the music room thinking someone had come before me,
only to find it empty.
Then, finding that weird, I'd go back to the staff room
and the key would be right there.
So basically, someone was entering and exiting the music room without ever running into you.
That's right! We have a mysterious trespasser on our hands!
Surely it's just a student.
But it's spring break!
Normal students would be sleeping in at home!
Why would one ever visit the music room so early in the morning?
Must've had something more important to do than sleep in.
What's the matter with you?
Don't you sense anything from this?!
Well, uh, I guess...
Forget it.
I'll go talk to Kusakabe-sensei.
Sorry, Chika-chan.
It's all good. No need to worry.
That student is probably a spring mirage to us.
A spring mirage?
Yeah.
As much as we wish for it to stay forever, it'll end up as but a fleeting pipe dream.
Thanks to you, I think I can solve the other spring break mystery.
Maren and Narushima-san?
While the choir uses the music room,
we scatter across the big school campus and practise by ourselves.
Every now and then, we send out a signal and break into an impromptu ensemble,
but a certain instrument's been joining us since yesterday.
What is it?
Just watch.
Found it!
A clarinet?
Wow, who is that?
Looks like it's a student who's taking makeups during spring break.
Could she be stupid?
President.
Didn't we have an unused clarinet lying around?
What is this, out of the blue?
It needs to be repaired, so you can't use it right away.
Okay.
Huh?
It really is gone, huh?
They took it without telling anyone?
Repairing these isn't some DIY job, either. You need technical expertise.
So who could do it?
Serizawa Naoko, maybe?
Wait, Serizawa? The first year?
If so, her playing was a bit weird.
Yes. Her timing was off at the start of multiple phrases.
That reminds me. I saw her with Kusakabe-sensei before the closing ceremony.
What?
Time out! Let me in on your conversation!
What do you want to know about Serizawa?
You're familiar with her?
The Serizawas are local celebrities, you know.
Her grandfather was a Diet member,
and her father runs a construction company.
She's a thoroughbred musician who's looking to go pro.
Go pro?!
Awesome! If someone like that joined—
Forget about it.
She's a hardcore concert band hater.
Talk to her, and you'll get burnt.
Burnt?
When my little sister was in the concert band,
she once went to ask her to fill in and came back crying.
N-Nobody who loves music could ever hate concert bands...
Probably... Maybe...
A lot of aspiring pros consider music a personal battle.
So?
A concert band could have members who only picked up an instrument in high school,
so they consider practising with one a waste of time.
Does it burn?
N-Not in the least!
There are also people who can't stand being lumped in with players far worse than them.
What's the big deal? We could all level up together.
Want me to put it in RPG terms, then?
Let's say you're a level 1 performer.
Kamijou, Narushima, and Maren would be level 50.
And Serizawa would be level 99.
She's been working several times harder than you ever since grade school.
I might get burnt to a crisp.
Why would you guys play with me if you're so good?
I like playing in a concert band because it lets me play with friends.
There's more to music than just being good.
And nothing beats concert bands when it comes to fun.
You won't regret it!
I'll do my best!
I'll recruit more members and make sure we can take part in the Category A local qualifiers!
All right. My HP is restored.
Man, you're easy to please.
Oh yeah, I heard Serizawa-san's grades fell off a cliff starting from the second midterms.
Before that, she was in the top five of our year.
Is that why she has to take makeups?
That probably has more to do with her attendance.
She suddenly started having trouble following conversations,
began to avoid her classmates, and ended up cut off from the rest.
Due to that, she took most of the third term off.
Haruta, you saw her and Kusakabe-sensei talking alone, right?
I did.
I saw them going into the career counselling room multiple times.
Career counselling?
Multiple times?!
Her, of all people?
How did you conveniently end up witnessing that each time?
I can't relax unless I see Sensei's face multiple times a day.
You stole another march on me?!
You're her!
Serizawa-san?
BLOSSOM
It really has been repaired.
Where's my thanks?
P...
P?
Please join our band!
Wh-What's with you?!
I love how audacious you are.
You're not a cat in heat!
So why did I bother explaining all that before?
You're Homura-san, of Class 1-2?
Over the past year, the nearly-dead concert band came back to life with you at its core.
You've got a keen eye.
You even battled the drama club on stage in the gym.
You saw that?!
But I've known of you since long before that.
Don't you remember what happened last summer?
She came to school by car and nearly ran you over in front of the main gate.
Hup!
That was you?
Don't be like that, Chika-chan.
You already accepted the expensive cream bun settlement offered by the driver.
Oh, right.
Um, thanks for repairing it.
I'm not going to join, sorry.
Join?
What's wrong?
Wait. You came all the way, so let's talk some more.
I'm sorry!
What did she even come here to do?
I think we'd all better watch our step.
Our step?
She probably lost something in the music room or this prep room.
Think she dropped a contact lens?
No, but it's probably something similar...
and far more serious.
If she wanted to look for it between the choir and concert band's practices,
the morning was her only option.
But she soon hit a wall looking by herself.
Maybe she snuck out the clarinet and repaired it
so she wouldn't owe us anything for our help with the search.
Don't tell me...
Our conversation went awry the moment the choir started practising.
I'll go bring her back!
Chika?!
Her sudden inability to keep up with conversations, maintain her grades,
get the timing right at the start of phrases,
and the career counselling with Kusakabe-sensei all points to one thing...
Serizawa-san!
What is it?
Did you lose your hearing?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
I've gone completely deaf in my right ear.
And my left's gotten to the point
where it's hard for me to pick up everyday conversation unless I'm in a quiet place.
I'm receiving treatment, but...
I played volleyball in junior high.
One of my teammates got hit in the ear with a really hard spike.
We were competing for a starting spot at the time,
but she eventually lost out.
After that, she started mishearing things more frequently, even in daily life.
I saw her crying and—
What does that have to do with me?
Everything!
Could you be any more abrasive?
I don't want your stupid sympathy.
Why would I ever pity a brilliant, level 99 rich girl?
Oh, I know!
Music Prep Room
Don't move out of line!
It's really small, so be sure not to miss it!
Quit slacking off, Prez. Hold the other side!
That took a while.
Music Prep Room
She came sprinting after me. I had a hard time dealing with her.
Doesn't seem to be in the music room!
Let's look in the prep room, then.
Hurry up and tell everyone what size and colour it is.
Around the size of a pinky nail. Skin tone.
That small?
And it rolls around. Better not kick it.
That doesn't sound easy to find at all.
Nice idea.
Thanks. We got the paper cups from the infirmary.
These aren't half-bad.
I can even talk to people in noisy places.
Finally found it.
He says they found it.
Don't be in such a rush, now.
Tell her everything I'm about to say.
The concert band members gave it their all for over an hour.
It was one hell of a workout.
We deserve praise for that, really.
Apparently he wants to run for student council president this year.
Oh? Then you have my vote.
Your vote?
Chika-chan, are you really telling her what I said?
I am. Now get on with it.
This was an unfortunate accident.
Accident?
So nobody should be blamed for it.
Infirmary
I never thought you'd be such a pain.
Why didn't you tell us sooner?
If not us, you could've at least told Kusakabe-sensei.
I couldn't possibly tell him.
Not after all the trouble I caused him with the career counselling.
I figured it'd be hard for you to tell them about the hearing aid,
so I called your family and let them know.
Thank you.
What are the others up to?
Tending to the instruments.
We did find a bunch of them that still seemed usable.
It's all thanks to you, Serizawa-san.
If only you'd repair the rest for free, too.
She can't do everything, you know.
Sorry. I can't handle all of you talking to me at once.
All done!
There.
Now we can all talk to her.
You're sharing mine, okay?
Be careful not to let the strings loosen.
Mind if I ask you something?
What is it?
What made you pick up clarinet?
My father's introduced me to a lot of aspiring pro musicians ever since I was young.
But not one of them played the clarinet.
That was probably just bad luck.
As for me, it was anything goes.
All I cared about was becoming a pro musician and leaving that house.
That's all, really.
Leave that palace you call a home?!
What a waste! You could be a NEET there forever!
President!
Serizawa-san.
How does our band look from your point of view?
You've accomplished nothing worth mentioning,
and you haven't even taken the shape of a proper band yet.
Tell us something we don't know.
Don't tell me, you're seriously aiming for Fumon Hall?
Yeah.
Then...
Sensei must've found it hard to break this to you,
but I'll say it for him now.
You need at least thirty members.
Thirty?
In the high-school Category-A All-Japans, they call you rash if you take part with thirty.
Any lower,
and there'll be a clear gap between you and the powerhouse bands with the maximum fifty-five members.
Wait.
There is a way to close that gap.
Orchestral reduction, right?
Arranging full symphony music for a smaller band to surprise pro judges and make an impact.
This school has an instructor capable of that.
An instructor who was once called Japanese music's wunderkind.
But that won't change the fact that you'll be at a disadvantage.
Also, you should give up on this year's nationals.
Instead of suffering a crushing defeat due to lack of members,
you'd be better off entering Category B
with its thirty-five member limit and free-choice pieces only.
You won't make it to Fumon Hall that way,
but you can aim for gold in the Category B regionals,
and gain more valuable experience that way.
So we have to pave the way for Kamijou and our other juniors, right?
Category B...
You're an amusing one, Kamijou-kun.
I thought Homura-san would be the only one to have "Join us" written all over her face,
but you're the same.
You're like two peas in a pod.
No way!
You think so too?
Hey...
Could you help us in our efforts?
Consider it a request from me too.
Sensei.
You gave up on becoming a conductor, right?
So why do you still surround yourself with music by teaching at this remote public school?
Music is all I know,
so I cling to it.
I'm the same.
The door hasn't been completely shut on my going professional.
I have to cling to the path I have chosen
and keep pushing on until I'm satisfied.
Isn't it the same for you all?
So I'm sorry,
but I can't join you yet.
There's one thing I just don't understand from this case.
What?
How'd you lose your hearing aid in the music prep room?
I wanted to check if the snare drums and timpani were still usable,
so I picked them up to move them,
but then I lost my balance and fell.
Who's there?
That must've been when it fell out.
I didn't realise because I was in such a rush.
Why check the snare drums and timpani?
For a childhood friend.
I want him to come back to school.
He plays the drums?
Forget I said anything.
He must be going through a lot, and I'm sure he'd hate people meddling.
Sorry for causing such a fuss.
I'll be rooting for you from the outside.
Oh, can I have those?
Thanks!
I don't care if she's a prodigy or whatever.
She's just a troublemaker, if you ask me.
Yet...
She said she couldn't join us "just yet".
Yeah.
A spring mirage, huh?
I'm here to confess today.
Be a man and admit it.
I'm gonna go all the way!
Our next caller is "Desert Rabbit".
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